Monthly Archives: September 2011

Matthew 16:13-19 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Over the next 5 to 6 weeks my desire is for us to take a journey toward a greater understanding of how to define the church, what makes a church successful and why we need to support and participate in the life of the church. During this series we will look at a number of things:

How do we define the church?

What does a godly church look like?

What is the mission and purpose of the church?

Why do we have so many different denominations?

Why do some churches make it and others fail?

What are the ordinances of the church: baptism and Lord’s Supper? How do we interpret these and how do we apply them into the life of the church as well as into personal lives.

How do things work here at PCC? How are decisions made? Who runs the church?

What is the vision and purpose of PCC?

What does it mean to be a member of a local congregation? Why should I consider membership?

These and other questions will be answered during the course of this study. The goal of this series is to be biblical, to be fun, to be practical and to be able address as many questions about the church as possible.

This morning I would like to begin the series by looking at how we should define the church. In our scripture text, we see Jesus asking an important question; “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” This is an important question because our response to the question “Who do people say that the son of Man is?” or “Who do you say I am?” will determine our view of the church and of our life as a believer. Secondarily, our view of Christ is will determine the kind of church that we will have since Christ is the foundation and focus of the church. We must remember that he is the Great Shepherd and we are the under shepherds.

As our understanding of Christ grows so will our understanding of the church. In the world there are many different thoughts about who Christ is. Some say that he is only a great teacher, others say that he is only a great prophet. There has also been some that have an understanding that Jesus is a mystical being that does not have any impact in the world today. Others believe that while Jesus lived he did not do the miracles that were ascribed to Him. Others believe that whatever we ask He will give us even though what we ask could be against His will. IF you have a small view of Christ you will have a small view and a misguided view of what the church should be. But to be effective we must know that Jesus is a teacher and he is a prophet but he is the Messiah, the promised one who will redeem the world. As our understanding grows we will begin live as if He is real and that He will do what He says that He will do.

Peter who is often the spokesman for the group answers the question on behalf of the other disciples. He states that you are Christ, the son of the living God.” Peter is recognizing that Jesus is more than a church planter but that He is the one who will build, keep and redeem the church.

It is at this stage that Jesus makes a prophetic proclamation. He proclaims that “Upon this rock I will build my church.” It is critical that we look at a couple of things in this passage. First, Jesus uses a play on words here. When he says “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church” what he is saying is “Peter you are a small stone (PETROS) but on a great solid rock (PETRA) I will build my church.” Two things can be seen through this passage. For one Peter might be a part of the church but he is not the foundation or the basis of the church. As 1 Peter 1:5 states we are all living stones that are built into a spiritual house. Peter may be a part of the church but he is not the church by himself. All of the disciples and all believers past and present make up the church.

Secondly, we must see that this is a triumphant promise which represents Christ’s authority. In essence, the church’s success is not ultimately dependent on human initiative or human wisdom or human perseverance. It is ultimately dependent on the power and wisdom and faithfulness of the risen and living Christ to keep the promise that “I will build my church.” Not, “You will build my church.” Or, “Missionaries will build my church.” Or, “Pastors will build my church.” But, “I will build my church.” That is the promise and that is what we must hold onto.

When Jesus references the church here he is speaking of the church-at-large – the universal church. We must understand that there is a local expression of Christ’s church but here in this passage Jesus is relating to the church as a whole and not just a local expression.

The basis of a good understanding will be realized as we understand that His church will be built on the revelation that He is the Messiah and all that He accomplished on the cross and in the Resurrection. He died for the church so that the church will be a powerful influence in the community and to bring the reign of God into every sphere of influence they may have.

What Jesus wants us to know is that there is nothing that can destroy God’s church. Not even the gates of hell can destroy the universal church. Unfortunately, we have seen some local churches fall apart and be destroyed. While time does not allow us to facilitate a complete discussion of this issue at this time we will cover this issue in full in a later sermon.

To fully understand the church we must also recognize that there is the visible and invisible church. The visible church is what everyone sees regardless of their commitment to Christ. When you drive down the road you will see churches of all sizes, shapes and beliefs but that does not make them a true church of Christ. The invisible church is made up of those within the visible church that have made a commitment to follow Christ whatever the cost. You see the church is not a building. It’s a people, with or without a building.

While Jesus promised that the universal church would not be destroyed there are challenges for both the local church and the universal church, today. What are some of these challenges?

First, the church has lost its influence in the culture.

Secondly, many churches have compromised the gospel.

But this does not mean that God’s church will not be successful because it is His church. You see Jesus says that this church is my church and “I will build my church.” God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4). And not only us, but millions more scattered throughout the earth (John 11:52). And he has many people in this community that follow him and serve him (Acts 18:10). Each one of these has been bought by his own blood (Acts 20:28). And he makes us a kingdom of priests that will serve and follow God completely. We will be and are his church. We are not their own. We are bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:19–20). We are his. He will gather us to himself and He will build his church.

Matthew 7:28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

As Matthew brings the Sermon on the Mount to a close, he gives us the mood and the sense of the environment when Jesus had completed His teaching. Those who heard Him teach were astonished at His teachings because He spoke as one who had authority and not as the other teachers of His day. He spoke with clarity. He spoke truth. But, He did so with great passion and love. This was the kind of message that you would either love or you would hate depending on your spiritual position.

If we needed to we could sum up the entire message of the Sermon on the Mount with one phrase. We are people of the Kingdom. And, if we are people of the Kingdom then we need to learn the lessons of the Sermon on the Mount and then begin to make application of these truths in our lives. Therefore, if we are people of the kingdom then we should do the following not out of quilt or to punch our good deeds card but because we love God and we desire to honor Him with our lives.

When you are a member of the Kingdom of God there is an understanding that we should live and act differently. As Kingdom minded followers of Christ, we should be setting the tone in our communities, on the job and in our personal relationships. We should be the most trusted and respected people around not because we are in some way special or better than anyone else but because we allow the light of God to shine through us and it is He who draws people to us. But, too often the society in which we live dictates who and what we will be. But Jesus reminds us that:

We are salt and light (Matt, 5:13-16). We are called by God to make an impact in our community and in the sphere of influence we may have.

We are the light of the world. We do not have to become light; we simply allow the light of Jesus to shine through us. As we are in His word and in pray God will begin to transform us into His image.

When we are a member of the Kingdom of God we should live within the margins established by God. By margin I mean that we do not see how close to the line we can live and not get hurt but we understand the line and take two steps back. In many cases the concept of margin applies to the business of our lives but that term applies here as well. Do we leave enough of a margin in our lives to provide protection and safety?

How we treat others (Matt. 5:21-26; 5:31-32; 5:38-41; 5:43-48;7:1; 7:12-14). How do you treat others? Do you treat as you want to be treated or do you use them and abuse them? When living in God’s margin we treat others as we would want to be treated.

How we handle our thoughts (Matt. 5:27-30)? Do we allow unhealthy and destructive thoughts to guide our lives or do we take every thought captivity for the glory of God (

How we keep our word (Matt. 5:33-27). Can you be trusted? Do you follow through with what you have committed to do? If not, are you willing to admit that you can’t and seek release from the commitment?

When we are members of the Kingdom of God our goal must be to please God and not men.

The way we give (Matt. 6:1-4).

The way we pray (Matt. 6:5-14).

The way we fast (Matt. 6:16-18).

The problem with the religious leaders of the day they were more interested in what people thought or how they were perceived in the community rather than putting weight in what God thought of them. In all we do, we do it to please God and know to receive the praise of men.

When we are members of the Kingdom of God we must trust in God for our sustenance and the provisions of our needs.

We will lay our treasure up in heaven (Matt. 6:19-24).

We will seek the Kingdom of God first (Matt. 6:25-34).

When we are members of the Kingdom of God we will put into practice what we have learned.

Matthew 7:24-27 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

Jesus continues to use contrast and hyperbole to teach important life lessons. Thus it is interesting to note in this passage that we have several contrasts and comparisons used by Jesus.

He contrasts two kinds of people.

The first person is described as “wise.” The term here for “wise” has more to do with the quality of the individual rather than specific acts or even one’s right actions. The wise man will build on the foundation of Christ and Christ’s word. Note that this is more of an attitude and a characteristic of who the person is rather than necessarily something that is done. It was not just the act of building on a form foundation that made this person wise but his was his ongoing mental state that made him wise.

The second person is described as “foolish.” One who is foolish is one who manifests a mental dullness or physical sloth. It is one who is lacking sense, judgment, or discretion. This person would rather cut corners and take the easy way out rather than doing what is necessary to have their life built on a firm and solid foundation. Once again this speaks of the moral character of the person rather than the simple act of building or not building on a firm foundation.

He contrasts two kinds of responses to God’s Word.

The first person obeyed Christ’s words. Jesus over and over spoke about obedience being a factor of the success of one’s walk with God. In fact, in the Old Testament Samuel spoke to Saul and said that “Obedience is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22). In other words, it is possible to do all the right things but in the wrong way because of one’s stubbornness and impatience. In 2 John_1:6 John reminds the passionate follower of Christ that “This love I speak of means that we must live in obedience to God’s commands. The command, as you have all heard from the beginning, is that you must all live in love.”

The second person rejected or trivializing the word of God. Those who want a religious experience rather than a relationship with a living God. Notice that this is not just a matter of rejecting God’s word but also a matter of trivializing the word. The word “trivialize” means to make it appear unimportant.

Have you ever tried to put something together and ignored the directions. I remember a time when my clutch cable broke on a car I had. I got my tools together, took the old cable off and began the process of installing the new cable. After several hours of cracking my knuckles, throwing a wrench or two and mumbling some inappropriate words under my breath I deceived to go to the library and look at the Chilton’s auto repair book for my car. When I looked at the directions I realized that if I started on the other end of the cable that it would go on really easy. So, I went home and in 10 minutes I had the project completed. You see, I didn’t think the instructions were important so I ignored them and it cost me dearly.

So it is with the Word of God, we can ignore it or we can believe that it is not important and it will take us longer to get where we are going and will face more frustration and negative response to life than is necessary.

He contrasts two kinds of foundations.

One man built on a solid foundation. He built upon the solid rock. It was Paul that reminded the Corinthian church that there was no other foundation than the one laid by Jesus and the Apostles. Ephesians 2:20

The second man built on a sandy foundation. This foundation was not capable of handling what was to be built on it. Paul reminded the Corinthian church that anything but a foundation built on Christ will fail. 1 Cor. 3:12

We should note that the foundation of a house is a somewhat invisible and sometimes ignored component of the building. It is increasingly evident, however, that attention to good foundation design and construction has significant benefits to the homeowner and the builder, and can avoid some serious future problems.

Tony Evans tells of a story about a problem he was having with a wall in his home. There was a crack in so he called in a contractor to repair the crack. He came and repaired the crack but to Tony’s amazement a few months later the crack reappeared. So, he called in yet another person who came and repaired the crack. Once again in a short few months the crack reappeared. So he called in yet another person. This person, however, looked at the crack and began to investigate possible causes. In a few moments, he returned to inform Tony that the problem was not the crack in the wall; the problem was with the home’s foundation. The foundation had been settling and thus the crack kept appearing. The cause of the problem was the sheetrock but it was the foundation.

The is true of us if our spiritual foundation is not solid we will find that we have spiritual cracks that can only be repaired by repairing the foundation.

He contrasts two different results.

The one house endured the storm without damage or concerns.

The second home suffered great loss (a great fall). One of the reasons this was a great fall was that it was unnecessary. The Word is our guide and it establishes the foundation in our lives. Had the owner built on a firm foundation, he would not have suffered such a great loss.

While Jesus used many comparisons we must also recognize that there are also many similarities in the passage.

Both men answered to the same God.

They received the same Word. In this, I am reminded of the parable of the sower (Matt. 13:3-9; Luke 8:5-15). The seed was the same, the sower was the same but the response to the seed was different.

Some of the seed fell on the path which been hardened by the walk of life and so the seed could not take root. This speaks of the believer who has hardened his/her heart against a specific truth of the Gospel.

Some seed fell of the rocky ground where the dirt was shallow. The seed took root but was easily destroyed by the heat because it lacked any real root system.

Some seed fell on the thorny ground which took root but was quickly consumed by the cares of life and issues they confronted.

But, thank God some seed fell on good soil and flourished.

They experienced the same storm. When you think about storms in your life I bet you don’t think about thunderstorms or snowstorms. You probably think about …

… dealing with a difficult or broken relationship

… going through a financial crisis

… withstanding legal problems

… unpleasant or painful health problems

… the death of someone you love

… dealing with rebellious children

… facing something that brought public disgrace

… being laid off from work

… dealing with a conflict situation at work or in church

We all face storms in life but it is the foundation of all our lives that determine the results. It should be noted that building on a solid foundation does not prevent the believer from ever facing difficulty. We will all face storms in our lives. It is how we face the storm that makes all of the difference.

Their decision to obey and follow God’s word makes all of the difference in the outcome. Passionate followers of Christ are those who are passionate about obeying God’s word and following His commands.

As passionate followers of Christ we must recognize that the Word of God and the instruction of Jesus is not just a good book but it gives us instructions for life and in obedience we grow and become effective for Christ.

Jeremiah 17:5-8 Thus says the LORD: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

If someone wants to sell you a product, one way to get you interested in that product is to get you to imagine what your life would be like without it. For example, if the product is laundry detergent an advertiser might show scenes of children playing in the mud, or spilling red juice on a white t-shirt. Then they might show you a split screen. On one side, the competing product gets the t-shirt almost white, but their product makes the t-shirt come out as white as when it was new. They show that contrast to get you to buy their products. It encourages you to use their soap if you want clean clothes. Thus, they are encouraging you by means of contrast.

Jeremiah presents a Contrast for Encouragement

In this passage, Jeremiah is teaching his readers about the definition of and results of trusting in God vs. the one who trusts in himself. He does this by way of a comparison or contrast between a stunted shrub and a towering tree. What is revealed, in essence, is a clear division between one’s attitude and one’s commitment to follow God with all of their heart.

Description of the man who trusts in his own strength:

The first thing we see here is that the man whose trust is in his own strength will be like a shrub in the desert. Shrubs in the desert have no root system so they are easily blown by any and every wind that comes along. This shrub may be alive but barely. This kind of person lacks security and is filled with fear because they do not know what the future may hold. They live a life filled with worry and concern. They try to resolve the issues of life with every kind new product, psychological techniques or medical studies. This kind of person represents a life out of control. This kind of person reminds me of the person that wants to get rich quick. This person will move from business to business without much success in any one of them. They will sell Amway, Shaklee, and join any pyramid scheme possible in hopes of making a fast buck. But these things most often than not leave people broke, confused and angry. Some will play the lottery not for the sport but to use this as a method to get rich.

The second thing we see in this description of the man whose trust is in his own strength is that they will fail to see any good when it comes. When our eyes are on ourselves we can be easily blinded to the good around us. We in essence become negative. We begin to live an Eeyor existence. Remember Eeyor from Winnie the Pooh. He was always down and depressed. He is generally characterized as a pessimistic, gloomy, depressed, anhedonic, old grey stuffeddonkey.

The third thing we see here is that the man whose trust is in his own strength will dwell in the parched places of the wilderness. He will dwell in an uninhabited salt land. There will be no spiritual fruit in his life and very little other fruit for that matter. They will have very little existence except for a personal self-absorption that focuses on no one but themselves. This kind of person is robbed of joy and life itself. I have to brag on my wife a bit. As most of you know she has MS and battles with various physical issues. She can become tired easily and has pains in her feet, head and arms as a result. But, she has chosen to not allow the pain to affect her and as she often says, she will not waste the pain or allow the pain to distract from living life. Why can she do this? It is because her trust is in God.

Description of the man who trusts is in the Lord and whose trust is the Lord: Notice that this man is blessed and not cursed.

This kind of man will be like the tree planted by water that sends out its roots by the stream. This kind of man will receive his sustenance and vitality by being plugged into God’s strength. He is cognizant that he cannot live without God. His trust is in God and His ability to provide no matter what may come. In 1969 my family and I lived through Hurricane Camille which until Hurricane Katrina was the measure of all storms. During the storm we were in upstateAlabama. When we drove home the next day there was a phenomenon that we say on a number of occasions. In the area there were many pecan orchards which were destroyed by the storm but it seemed that in every pecan orchard there was the one oak tree that withstood the wind and the rain. How does one grow their roots and become established. They must be a student of the Word. They must be one who is consistent in prayer. And, they must be in fellowship with fellow believers.

This kind of man does not fear when the heat comes for he his sustenance comes from God and not his own ability to make things work. While he is effected by the issues of life like everyone one else there is a trust in God that understands He will work things out for His glory and that God’s name will be praised and honored.

This kind of man is not anxious in the year of drought for it does not cease to bear fruit. Even when everything else is dead you will bear fruit because you are plugged in God. He will never leave you nor forsake you. If you abide in me…

In addition to Jeremiah 17 we also have other passages that encourage us to trust in God:

Proverbs 3:5-6 – “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not to your own understanding but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your steps.”

Psalm 147:10-11 “His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.”

Psalm 33:18-19 “Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine.”

Where is your trust? Which way of life would best describe you? If you trust self I challenge you to repent and begin a journey to understand what it means to trust God. It does not mean that life will be easy but God will sustain and keep you through whatever comes.

Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who calls me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only those who do what my Father in heaven wants them to do. When the Judgment Day comes, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord! In your name we spoke God’s message, by your name we drove out many demons and performed many miracles!’ Then I will say to them, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you wicked people!’

In our study two weeks ago, we saw that Matthew 7:15-20 speaks of false and unsoundprofessions while our passage today, Matthew 7:21-23, speaks of unsoundhearing and actions. We saw those who used there positions and there words to control and to use people for their own good. The wolf in sheep’s clothing is one that is all about deceiving others for personal gain and to improve their self-esteem.

While the last passage was about deceiving others for personal gain, the theme of the verse before us today speaks of a self-righteousness that leads to self-deception. In essence, this passage deals with the subject of professing one thing when in reality there is no fruit or evidence that one is who they say they are. This is one of the saddest passages in the Bible for me. It signifies those who were busy doing great things for God without ever establishing a relationship with God. There are those who believe they are doing right but they have never accomplished the one thing that is most important and that is receive Christ as their Savior.

Deception is always a difficult issue to deal with as we honestly believe that we are walking in truth and what we believe about ourselves is true.

As we pursue this discussion it is important for us to determine the reasons we become deceived:

One of the first reasons we are deceived is that we have a falseassurance in our salvation because of an easy-believism and an acceptance of a cheapgrace. 2 Cor. 7:9-10. As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. What do I mean when I say an easy believism and cheap grace? I simply mean that we have received what Christ can do for us without receiving Christ. We have confessed but we have not repented. Detriech Bonnhoffer has written extensively about cheap grace. He says that a conversion experience that does not bring change is no conversion experience at all.

We come to Christ for the wrongreason because we misunderstand all that Christ has done for us. Eph 1:7, Eph2:7-10. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. In this regard we must understand that just because we were born into a Christian family does not guarantee that we are a Christian and yet so many pursue Christianity without ever developing a personal relationship with the living God. A second consideration here is that too often we want the gifts and benefits of God without the commitment to Christ that is needed.

We fail to do self-examinations. 2Cor. 13:5 – Paul calls the Corinthian church to do a self-examination of themselves. How has your life changed since coming to Christ?

We have a fixation on religiousactivity. One final problem that presents itself is that too often we are fixated on doing things for God rather than being something for God. Those in our passage were effect in what they did but they never had a relationship to the one that they were doing the stuff for.

How do we know we are believers?

We have made a confession of faith and there is an assurance in the heart that God has raised Christ from the grave. In other words there is a belief that Jesus is who He said He is. Romans 10:9-10 – But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

For a true believer there is an ongoing process of personal evaluation of one’s self. A part of this comes from the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the other comes from the desire to know that all issues of the faith have been dealt with. 2 Corinthians 13:5 – Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?–unless indeed you fail to meet the test!

There is a confirmation from the spirit of God. When you are around those who have Christ in their hearts there is a confirmation of this truth. Romans 8:14-17 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs–heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

A true believer will follow God’s commands and where they fail they will make every effort to bring change and allow God to transform that part of their life. 1 John 2:3-6 – And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

A believer will not only hear the words of God but will seek to make application of those words into their lives. They will find their place in the body and then begin to full their calling. James 1:22But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving ourselves.

The call of Christ is to be obedient to God’s Word and to do His will.